جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

IVY'S POV The silence after the team left felt heavier than before.I locked the door and leaned against it for a second, letting out a long breath. The penthouse, which had started to feel like our safe little world, now carried the weight of outside expectations and fresh worry. When I turned back, Ronan was still on the couch where they’d left him, but the tough mask he’d worn in front of the others had completely cracked.He looked… broken.Not just physically. The strong lines of his face had softened into something raw and exhausted. His shoulders slumped forward, and those ice-blue eyes stared blankly at the floor like he was watching his entire future slip away.I walked over slowly and knelt in front of him, resting my hands on his good thigh. “Hey… they’re gone now. You don’t have to hold it together anymore.”For a long moment, he didn’t speak. Then his breath hitched, and the words came out rough and unsteady.“I’m fucked, Ivy.” His voice cracked on my name. “One stupid

IVY'S POV The bedroom felt different after the shower.Softer somehow. Like the vulnerability we’d shared in the bathroom had changed the air between us. I lay beside Ronan in the dim lamplight, his arm around me even though I could tell every small movement still hurt. His leg was carefully elevated on pillows, ice pack in place, but his body stayed turned toward mine like he needed the closeness more than rest.Neither of us spoke for a while. I traced slow patterns on his chest with my fingertips, listening to his heartbeat gradually settle. The earlier shame and fear still lingered on his face, but it wasn’t as heavy now.“I meant what I said earlier,” he whispered into the quiet. “I’ve never let anyone see me like that. Not broken. Not… needing help with something so basic.”I lifted my head to look at him. “And I meant what I said too. I’m glad I was the one who got to be there for you.”He swallowed hard, his ice-blue eyes searching mine in the low light. “You make me feel sa

IVY'S POV The morning light felt a little kinder today.I woke up slowly, tangled in Ronan’s sheets with his warm body pressed against my back. His arm was draped over my waist, heavy and secure, like he was afraid I might slip away in the night. I stayed still for a long while, just listening to his breathing and feeling the steady beat of his heart against me. After yesterday’s emotional storm and the relief of the imaging results, this quiet felt like a gift.Ronan stirred behind me, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. “Morning,” he murmured, voice still rough with sleep. “You smell like home.”I turned in his arms carefully, mindful of his knee, and smiled at him. “You’re getting really good at these sweet lines.”“Only for you.” He leaned in and kissed me properly, slow and warm, the kind of kiss that made my toes curl under the blankets. His hand slid up my back, pulling me closer as the kiss deepened. For a few perfect minutes, the world outside the penthouse didn’t exist.

IVY'S POV The argument left a heavy silence in the penthouse that refused to lift easily.I stayed curled against Ronan on the couch, neither of us ready to move yet. His arms were still around me, but the tension in his shoulders hadn’t fully melted away. I could feel him thinking too hard, replaying every harsh comment he’d read, every protective instinct telling him to push me away again.I lifted my head from his chest and looked at him. His ice-blue eyes were troubled, shadows of doubt still lingering there. “You don’t have to protect me by leaving me,” I said gently. “That’s not how this works. Not anymore.”He swallowed, his hand coming up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I hate that they’re hurting you. I hate that my life is doing this to yours.”“Then let me choose it,” I whispered. “Let me choose you, even when it’s messy.”Ronan searched my face for a long moment, like he was looking for any sign that I might regret this. When he didn’t find it, something in his

IVY'S POV The pressure from the team’s visit lingered like a shadow over the rest of the day.We tried to keep things light after they left — watching highlights from Ronan’s old games, sharing snacks on the couch, stealing soft kisses between conversations. But I could tell the weight of their words was sitting heavily on him. Every time his phone buzzed with another message from Marcus or the training staff, his jaw would tighten just a fraction.By evening, the tension had crept into his body. I noticed it during his final ice application — the way his shoulders stayed bunched, the small winces he tried to hide when he shifted positions. I didn’t push. I simply stayed close, offering quiet comfort through touch and presence.“You’re hurting more than you’re letting on,” I said softly as I helped him settle into bed later that night.He gave me a tired half-smile. “It’s manageable. Don’t worry about me.”But I did worry.I changed into my sleep shirt and slipped under the covers